We all have lingering memories of worlds created in our imagination as we traversed childhood. These worlds included everything from houses outlined and furnished with the fallen leaves to forts created from the piles of snow in our backyards to epic hideouts constructed out of blankets draped from the bunkbeds in our rooms. Roxaboxen, by Alice McLerran, tells the story of a magical world brought to life by an imaginative group of children.
Roxaboxen sprang up in the Arizona desert. An enterprising group of children brought Roxaboxen to life using found objects on the hillside opposite their homes. The children used large white rocks to form Main Street. Following this, each of the children created their own tiny house outlined by rock or desert glass.
In time, Roxaboxen came to have a robust economy with round black pebbles used as currency. Shops emerged along Main Street requiring the presence of shopkeepers selling everything from baked goods to ice cream. The beauty of dwelling within the borders of Roxaboxen was that the consumption of ice cream had no limits. Transportation around the desert was key. Not only did all of the children have a car, but they also possessed a horse. Epic battles were fought between the boys and the girls, necessitating the creation of forts offering places of refuge.
Although the original inhabitants of Roxaboxen grew up and moved away, the memories live on in the minds of those who once walked its streets. In the book Roxaboxen, Alice McLerran has preserved their story for us. Because of this, it sparks imagination in those who read it. What will you and your children imagine and create?